Archive for May, 2008
May
31
Posted by
besttech
Debra Legg
McClatchy Newspapers
With the guys, getting there is way more than half the battle.
I dread lengthy trips of any type — even the novelty of a plane wears off after about an hour — and make sure we have plenty of “fun” to keep them occupied. Snacks, crayons, books, Hot Wheels and tiny Thomas trains, anything to give them something to do besides whine “are we there yet?”
Little did I know that we’d embark on the longest road trip of their lives with no diversions and only leftovers for snacks.
A friend who knew I was heading south this afternoon tried to warn me: Stay off Highway 99, there’s a huge wreck, read an email that arrived at 4:11....
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May
31
Posted by
besttech
Genevieve Hinson
GenevieveHinson.com
Obstinate, this kid was obstinate. When Jay has his mind set it was pointless to push. He wouldn’t budge, not anymore than the Hoover dam would budge if I pushed, kicked or wailed on it. I knew this, but I argued with him anyways.
“It’s taken you two years to get here. There are ways to compromise.”
“No.”
“We can trim parts of it and with the hat on you’d never know the difference.”
“I’d prefer if you called it by its actual name.”
“What?”
“The hat. It’s a fedora.”
“Okay, a fedora.” I let out a...
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May
31
Posted by
besttech
By Debra W. Haffner
The following is an excerpt from “What Every 21st-Century Parent Needs To Know,” by Debra W. Haffner (copyright 2008 by Debra W. Haffner). Reprinted by permission from Newmarket Press, www.newmarketpress.com.
———
BEYOND THE BIG TALK
Concern, even alarm over our teens’ sexual behavior is not new. In the 1950s, parents worried about the influence of Elvis Presley and Little Richard shaking their hips on national television. Our parents worried about rock music and the influence of the sexual revolution. In fact, the greatest increase in the proportion of teens having sex was between 1971 and 1979, when many of today’s parents were teenagers. It may surprise you...
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May
30
Posted by
Alicia Castelli
What’s the best form of discipline? People told me that what works for
one child won’t necessarily work for another child and that seems to be
true. While a severe look and tone of voice will reduce our middle child
to tears, our oldest seems intent on pushing us to the breaking point.
The baby of the family is just shy of 3 years old and while she is
testing the waters, she pretty much does what she’s told to do.Our middle child is 5 years old and has been the easiest child ever
since the day he was born. He hardly cried, he didn’t fuss
when I weaned him, he was easy to potty train – the list goes on. Our
oldest is 8 and he has required some extra effort in all things.
Lately he seems... Read more
May
30
Posted by
besttech
ELYRIA —Police are looking for a man who attempted to lure an 8-year-old girl to his vehicle with a $20 bill.
The girl was walking home around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday from McKinley Elementary School when a man pulled his tan “Jeep-like” vehicle alongside her near Sherman and Stanford avenues and offered her the money, police said.
The girl ran away from the vehicle and then told her father about the incident when she got home. Elyria police responded to the area, said Lt. Andy Eichenlaub, but neither the man nor the vehicle could be located.
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May
30
Posted by
Alicia Castelli
I’ve had several email inquiries about fun, and preferably free, things to do with the kids this summer. I’ve decided to open it up to everyone for suggestions. Parks, playgrounds, the beach and libraries aside, what are some great things to do or places to take kids that you know about? Please share your ideas!...
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May
30
Posted by
besttech
Blame Barbie
By Julie
DC METRO MOMS BLOG
“Don’t touch my Barbie. It’s mine.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it’s not.”
I arrive just in time to intercept my 5-year-old’s attempt to hurl a soccer kick at her younger brother.
“Stop! Don’t kick him thhhheeeerrrrre,” I yell as I throw myself in between the two of them. “It’s NOT okay to kick when we’re mad. Kicking him there could mean there’s a chance he couldn’t make babies.”
Wowwww! What did I just say…? A chance he couldn’t make babies? Talk about opening a can of worms. Gotta love the moment after, hindsight.
…
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May
30
Posted by
Alicia Castelli
I recently heard that selected Regal cinemas are having a Free Family Film Festival for nine weeks. The free movies are scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m.
The Cobblestone Stadium 20 on Cobblestone Road in Elyria is such a theater. The upcoming list of free movies includes Arctic Tale, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Happy Feet, March of the Penguins, Charlotte’s Web and Daddy Day Care to name a few. For those of you looking for free fun this summer, consider movie mornings! You can call the theater for a schedule at 440-934-3355....
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May
29
Posted by
besttech
By Amy
SILICON VALLEY MOMS BLOG
My heart goes out to the people in the Santa Cruz mountains whose homes have been destroyed by the wildfire there.
When I first heard of the fire, it immediately brought back memories of the huge blaze that charred nearly 14,000 acres of those very same hills in the area near Lexington Reservoir back in 1985.
Back then, the fire blazed for four days and nights, and all through that summer it seemed as if it was all anyone ever talked about. Firefighters from all over California were camped out on the front lawn of Los Gatos High School. The highway through the mountains was closed. You could smell the smoke.
That summer, as I was about...
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May
29
Posted by
besttech
Celeste Smith
McClatchy Newspapers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sara Collins’ charm bracelet came from her mom, who started it for her at birth with a single baby boot.
Later came the safety patrol badge from sixth grade, ballet shoes, a palm tree from a trip to Florida, a silver apple from New York City. But mom wouldn’t let Collins have the bracelet until she turned 18.
“That was my whole motivation for becoming an adult — not to vote or be on my own at college, but to get that charm bracelet,” wrote Collins, 39, of Charlotte. “Charm bracelets are the wearable books of someone’s life, truly an example of wearing your heart on your sleeve.”
Her sentiments are shared by nearly 100 readers responding to a newspaper query for stories about your charm bracelets — those wrist adornments filled with decorative gems and trinkets symbolic of your lives.
Among the writers: the mother of an 11-year-old just starting her bracelet from her paternal grandmother and an 82-year-old former secretary, Vera Wilmer of Charlotte, who has typewriter and shorthand pad charms both inscribed with her word speed: 60 and 120 words per minute.
And then there are the moms expecting more special additions to their bracelets come Mother’s Day. Some add charms as travel souvenirs, reflections of hobbies and to mark special times, like the birth of children.
…
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